Charles a



(No Modl.)

- 0. A. RUEBEKAM;

BURIAL CASKET.

Patented Aug. 17, 1897.

WITNESSES INVE 70/? 1&- B) I 4 i ATTORNEYS.

. UNITED "STATES PATENT FFlCE.

CHARLES A. RUEBEKAM, OF OVVOSSO, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR TO LYMAN E.

- VVOODARD, OF SAME PLACE.

BURlAL-CASKET.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 588,482, dated August17, 1897.

Serial No. 642,696. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES A. RUEBE- KAM, of Owosso, in the county ofShiawassee and State of Michigan, have invented a new and ImprovedBurial-Casket, of which the following is a full, clear, andexactdescription.

The object of the invention is to so con struct the covers or lids ormolding of a casket around that portion at which the face of theoccupant is to be exposed that the position of the covers or lids on themolding may be expeditiously and conveniently changed, so as to exposemore or less of the person, and whereby hooks stationarily placed on thecovers or lids will serve, in conjunction with keepers on the molding,to hold the lids or covers in either one of the positions in which theymay be placed.

Another object of the invention is to provide for a change in theposition of the lids or covers of the casket in such manner that thekeepers for the covers or lids will hardly be discernible in the moldingand will not in the least detract from its appearance.

Another object of the invention is. to provide for the entire removal'of the covers or lids from the casket when such disposition isstruction and combination of the several parts, as will be hereinafterfully set forth, and pointed out in the claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part ofthis specification, .in which similar characters of reference indicatecorresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure l is a plan view of the molding for the casket-top or thatportion at which the face is to be viewed, illustrating the manner inwhich the covers are secured thereto, one of the covers being shown asbroken away. Fig. 2 is a section taken transversely through a portion ofthe said molding and said covers, and Fig. 3 is a detail perspectiveview of an end portion of one of the covers or lids.

A represents the molding, which, is to extend around the head andbustportion of the body and which is sometimes designated in the tradeas the cove. The upper portion or strip of the said molding or cove isprovided at each side near each end with a recess 10. Each recess 10 isspanned at the top by a keeper-platelland at the outer side by a secondkeeper-plate 12, one keeper-plate at each opening being at an angle tothe other. Each keeper-plate is provided with a longitudinal slot 13,and what may be termed the outer side wall of each slot 13 is bentinward and downward to form a lip 14, as is best shown in Fig. 2. Eachlid or cover B is made in two sections-namely, a body-section 16 and anouter side section 15. The opposing walls of the two sections arebeveled in opposite directions, forming between the sections when thecover or lid is in closed position a V-shaped opening 16, as showninFig. 2. Hinges 17 connect the two sections of each cover or lid at thetop, extending over the V-opening 16, as is alsoillustrated in Fig. 2.From thebottom portion of the outer section 15 of each cover or lidusually two hooks 18 are downwardly and outwardly projected, and eachhook, as illustrated in Fig. 3, consists of a curved body portion a, theconcaved face whereof is upward, and a downwardly and outwardly inclinedtip a. The keepers 11 and 12 are concealed by the covering 19, providedfor the molding or cove, but the said covering is provided with a slotover the respective openings 13 in the said keeper-plates.

In operation the hooks 18 are made to enter the openings in the upper orhorizontal keeper-plates, and when so entered the covers or lids may beclosed entirely over the opening in the molding or the cove, as shown inpositive lines in Fig. 2, or each lid or cover may be carried outward,so as to disclose the said opening, the end sections of the lids orcovers being then in a vertical position and the body portions in ahorizontal position, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2. Under thisdisposition of the-covers or lids the opening within the cove or moldingwill be entirely exposed; but itis sometimes desirable tohave theopening seem larger, which result may be accomplished by providing aborder for it consisting of the molding itself and carrying the coversor lids some distance from the opening to form a second frame ordressing therefor. This latter arrangement may be secured by simplyremoving the covers or lids from engagement with the upper or horizontal keepers 11 and causing the hooks 18 of the covers or lids to enterinto the outer or side keepers 12, as is also shown in dotted lines inFig. 2. It is evident also that the covers or lids may be entirelyremoved from connection with the molding or cove, if so desired, andthat when the hooks 18 enter either of the keepers 11 or 12 the saidhooks will serve as hinges and will act to effectually hold said coversor lids in engagement with the nolding or cove.

The concaved surfaces of the hooks 18 when the lids or covers arecarried to an open position will engage with the upper surfaces of thelips 14, which are convexed, while the tips a will engage with the underfaces of the keepers adjacent to the inner edges of their openings 13,as is shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent 1. The combination, with the molding of aburial-casket, and keepers placed in said molding, arranged in pairs,the keepers of each pair being at angles to one another, of lids orcovers provided with hook projections,

arranged to enter either keeper of a pair, whereby the said covers mayhave their position changed relatively to the opening surrounded by themolding, and whereby each cover or lid may be entirely removed fromengagement with the said molding, as specified.

2. 1n aburial-casket, the combination, with the molding or cove thereof,and keepers arranged in pairs on said molding, one keeper of each pairbeing at the top of the molding and the other at the outer surfacethereof and at an angle to the upper keeper, each keeper being providedwith an inwardly-extending lip at the outer edge of its opening, of alid or a cover constructed in sections having a hinged connection, theouter section being provided with a hook projection from its undersurface, comprising a curved body and a tip at an angle to the body, theouter or upper face of said hook projection being concaved and its undersurface eonvexed, the hook projections being adapted to enter theopenings in either of the said keepers, as and for the purposespecified.

CHAS. A. RUEBEKAM.

\Vitncsses:

LOUIS FLICKINGER, FRED B. \VOODARD.

